Paved road surfaces tend to deteriorate over time due to the affects of weather and traffic. This deterioration of a paved road surface, or pavement, can result in holes in the pavement which are commonly known as potholes, or chuckholes. If left unrepaired, these potholes can become serious road hazards.
Potholes in pavement are typically caused by repeated freezing and thawing of water in or under the road surface, which in turn causes the road surface to buckle and break, and results in a weakened region in the pavement. As vehicular traffic crosses the weakened region of the pavement, the broken pavement is displaced due to the weight of the vehicles pressing down on the weakened pavement. This deterioration is further accelerated by the impact of the vehicle wheels entering the region where the pavement has been displaced. At times, potholes can be so numerous that it is difficult for road repair workers to keep the pavement in acceptable condition. If left in a state of disrepair, however, such deterioration can progress to a point of requiring entire sections of the pavement to be replaced, or can result in road hazards capable of causing damage to vehicles, or causing accidents. Thus, it is desirable to repair the potholes in a timely manner.
Typically, potholes are repaired by hauling hole filling materials, such as asphalt, to the hole site with a dump truck and by manually shoveling the filling material into the hole. If desired, the fill material may be compressed in the hole by driving the wheels of the dump truck or a rolling machine over the filling material which was previously placed in the hole. Such an approach is labor intensive, and generates potential health risks to the road repair worker who must work in close proximity to a heated filling material which could cause burns and may emit noxious fumes.
Various attempts have been made to make road repair workers more efficient in repairing road surfaces. Many such attempts have focused on systems which include an auger or conveyor belt to transport the asphalt from the dump truck to the repair site. Such systems are expensive, include moving parts which are subject to wear and breakage, and expose the road repair worker to the further potential health risks posed by the moving parts of the system.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved system and apparatus for repairing road surfaces.